Blogs from South America

Iguassu Falls We rocked up to Iguassu after a LONG over night bus journey of about 14 hours, however the suite class flat beds made the trip very comfortable (so did the wine that we were served!) We stayed at a hostel called bambu, which was only a 5min walk from the bus station and had everything we needed, however it was quite quiet... that was until the Irish boys rocked up the next day! The day we arrived we wondered to Triplice fronteira which is were you can stand in Argentina and see Brazil and Paraguay across two joining rivers (the iguassu and parana rivers). Really strange to see the boarders of all three countries in one small place. The next morning we got up fairly early and headed to Iguassu with map in hand, ... read more

I did bring a journal to write stuff down, and after the 1st day it´s been neglected for 4 months. As a result I´ve forgotten a load of things, so back to the beginning we go. In Brazil, on Ilha Grande, when cooking rice I used washing up detergent instead of oil. Mind, the kitchen was proper filthy so it would have been for the best to eat the rice. And in my previous life I was a chef.. ho hum. In Paraguay, a delightfully odd country, we went to the most amazing museum in Concepcion. The fella who showed us around was really very pleased with the artifacts, which were essentially just a load of old things bunged in a storeroom. A 2 million year old fossil next to a phone from the 1970´s and ... read more

Day 4 Today was my second day of class and my first day of taking the bus without help. The bus system becomes easier each day. The bus drivers also get crazier each day. They like to speed, make illegal turns, cut people off, and even drive in the wrong lane. The drivers are no better. And, when they park on the street, one side of the car is completely up on the sidewalk. Even when a dog is crossing the street, they don’t stop. There are a ton of stray dogs here so that’s not a rare occurrence. In addition to stray dogs, I also saw llamas and cows on my way to school. The llamas were just walking around on the soccer field of a school. The cows were just lying in weeds on ... read more

Alright, so it's been a really long time since I wrote one of these things, but I had to get this off my chest, no matter how hairy it is. (Yes, my chest and the story.) What can I say about border crossings? One thing I can´t say is that they´re not without their...entertainment. I think there are a couple of ways to judge this. Entertainment at expense of the traveler and entertainment for the traveler. In one respect, the excitement that comes from the new adventure forthcoming which brings a flurry of imagination to the traveler. What different foods will I eat? What mountains and deserts will I cross? What will the people be like? Much different from their neighboring countrymen? Will transportation be a pain in the ass? For the border police, entertainment at ... read more

http://www.sidetracked.co.uk/edition-05/colombia.php... read more

Hat jetzt doch ein wenig gedauert, bis ich mich wieder hier zurück gemeldet habe. Zur Info: Mir geht’s gut:-) Die letzte Woche war mit Abstand die beste Woche und es wird mir schwer fallen einige Menschen hier zurück zu lassen. Die Woche vom 21.5.-25.5. haben wir Paulo begleitet (in seinem Projekt beschäftigt er sich mit Mäusen). Innerhalb eines Jahres werden je eine Woche lang Fallen aufgestellt und die Mäuse, die dabei gefangen werden anhand ihrer Schädelform bestimmt. Die Fallen wurden in 6 unterschiedlichen Waldgebieten ausgelegt. Jeden Vormittag fuhren wird die Strecke ab und kontrollierten die Fallen, füllten Futter nach und sammelten die Mäuse, die sich in den Fallen befanden ein. Nachmittags wurden die Mäuse dann seziert und endhauptet. Der Kopf wird dann nach Porto Alegre in ein Institut geschickt und dort so präpariert, dass der Schädel ... read more